Fix Me
by uglyducklingdrabbles
Summary: Iron Heights Penitentiary is home to some of the most heinous criminals: murderers, thieves, rapists. Keeping those inmates "healthy" and alive is no easy job. That's where Felicity Smoak comes in. When new inmates arrived, she thought to be unlike any other day. However, Felicity never expected to fall for one of the newbies, nevertheless one that had a plan up his sleeve.
1. Intrigue

Felicity watched the bus pull up to the front gate; the large, black doors swung open, each one being guarded by uniformed men. The bus continued its journey until it reached the check-in area. A flood of men, all different ages and nationalities, emerged from the bus. Their hands were locked in front of them via handcuffs, and they were being led inside by guards. Felicity exhaled. The blue Star City sky looked bright against the fluffy white clouds dancing inside it. The lush green grass from the yard contrasted well with the old, decaying brick of the exterior foundation of the building.

Felicity Smoak worked in a prison as a doctor, something that to most, quote-un-quote regular doctors, would be defined as "unconventional." She, however, loved it. The rush. The mystery. The thrill. This whole atmosphere, to her, was intriguing. She believed the intrigue stemmed from her need to help people, to try to fix their deep seated emotional issues. Her mother did not, in any way, shape or form, condone her daughter working in a penitentiary, especially one that was maximum security. It had been five years since Felicity had even uttered a word to her mother. Her father, on the other hand, left when Felicity was only eight. He never called, or sent money during her birthday or any holidays. It was like he completely vanished off the face of the earth. That only made her work harder at her job in the end.

"Did you see the new guys?" Her colleague, Sara Lance, entered the infirmary. Sara was the nurse, the one the inmates would go to if Felicity was unavailable, or just needed quick attention. Both ladies were good at what they did, and loved where they did it.

Felicity smiled. "Yes, but I didn't get a good look. Anyone interesting?"

Sara laughed. "I didn't get a good look either. Wait until we get their files." She wiggled her eyebrows, causing Felicity to laugh.

Both women heard the jingling of keys as Captain Quentin Lance, Sara's sometimes over-protective but wise father, emerged from the elevator, a large bin in hand. He smiled at the ladies as he entered the infirmary. Quentin and Sara's relationship was different, to say the least. Her father, who started his career at Iron Heights as just an average, run-of-the-mill correctional officer, started after Sara had already had her job at Iron Heights for over a year. She had gathered suspicions that her father just wanted to check up on his daughter.

"Special delivery for Ms. Smoak. Here are all the files of the new inmates. Good luck." He nodded towards his daughter before leaving, the other guards frozen in loyalty as he passed.

"Thanks, daddy dearest," Sara muttered under her breath.

Felicity smirked. "He just wants the best for you. It's hard for him, watching you deal with violent men everyday. Just like it's hard for you, seeing him do what he does."

Sara nodded. "I know, I know. Sometimes I just think the only reason he took this job was to keep an eye on me."

"He's a good captain, Sara. He's fair. Iron Heights hasn't had a captain like that in a long time."

They started sifting through the files; this new batch of inmates had some murderers, thieves, and crazy psychopaths. Sara started rummaging through the files. "Typical stuff," she uttered, briefly skimming over the inmate's life stories.

"What's this guy about?" Felicity reached into the bin, revealing a file. She opened the top flap. "Roy Harper. 20. Convicted of grand larceny. Sentence is five years. He has no medical conditions." She helped Felicity place the file in her filing cabinet.

Felicity and Sara went through the large, abundant box of files. Some of the inmates in particular caught their eyes:

"Slade Wilson. 35. Convicted for two counts of murder in the first degree. Sentenced to two life sentences without the possibility for parole. Wears an eyepatch over his right eye."

"Ray Palmer. 28. Convicted for money laundering. Sentenced to five years. Looks like someone you've dated before. _"_ Felicity flashed Sara a look.

"Listen to this one." Sara plastered a smirk on her delicate features. "Oliver Queen. 30. Convicted for armed robbery. Sentence is five years. It says he's a type one diabetic." Felicity penciled his name in her schedule, then added it onto her calendar in her computer. Sara removed the mug shot from his file, showing the photo to Felicity.

"Wait a minute. It says here his brother is Thomas Merlyn."

"Brother?" She grabbed the file from Sara, and read the contents. "Mr. Queen's parents died when he was young, so Thomas and his family took Oliver in. They adopted him into the family."

Felicity furrowed her brow and looked at the photo. He was an attractive man. His light brown hair was short and cropped, and he had a hint of stubble on his face.

"Thomas is a murderer. He's getting executed in a week…. Then his brother just miraculously shows up at the same penitentiary?"

Sara gave Felicity an inquisitive look. "I don't think there's any sort of conspiracy here, Fel. Queen just messed up, which is how he got here."

Felicity felt there was a veil of mystery surrounding Oliver Queen. " _Don't go there_ ," she thought. She always told herself to stop trying to fix these men and focus on her own issues, but that wish unfortunately never came to pass.

"He's cute. A lot of these guys are."

"So, basically, you're screwed." Sara leaned against her desk and crossed her arms, her white lab coat creasing.

The two exchanged laughs. "Hey, unlike someone, I'm not in a relationship. Regardless. I'm not going to start anything with these guys. Thinking some of them are cute is completely harmless."

Sara chuckled. "I'll tell Nyssa that. She won't be happy about not being able to hook you up with someone."

The infirmary was cascaded in light. White walls decorated the room. The cabinets, a brushed silver, sat against those walls, various medical supplies littering their insides. There were two medical beds, one slightly larger than the other, but both large enough to fit a rather large inmate. Two dark mahogany desks sat against one of the glass windows; Felicity's desk, which was only really ever cluttered with paperwork, sat against the wall closest to the door, while Sara's desk, which was much more decorated and lively (a picture of her longtime girlfriend Nyssa sat on her desk, as well as a photo of her and her father, with her older sister Laurel), sat on the wall adjacent. Both ladies worked countless hours a day making sure these men didn't kill each other, or themselves.

The familiar sound of jingling keys emerged from the hallway. John Diggle, Quentin's right hand man and one of Felicity's closest and oldest friends, stepped off the elevator, an inmate attached to his left hand. Felicity recognized the inmate as Oliver Queen, the one with the veil of mystery.

"Here's your first victim. Don't be too hard on him." Diggle flashed a smile Felicity's way.

"Sara, your father wants you. You're needed down in A wing. Some inmates have roughed each other up pretty bad."

"On it, Digg. Thanks." The two smiled towards each other, before setting foot in the hallway.

Felicity ushered for Oliver to make his way towards the medical bed. She retrieved his file, along with medical supplies, including an insulin known as Humalog, a glucose meter, and a syringe. "Mr. Queen. Welcome to Iron Heights." She rolled her chair back towards him.

"I read in your file that you're a type one diabetic. How long has it been?"

Oliver rolled up his sleeve, revealing a set of tattoos. "Since I was a kid," he nonchalantly eased out, without any form of effort. Felicity, for a split second, found herself getting lost in his light blue eyes.

"Finger." Oliver outstretched his pointer finger; she found the tip to be calloused, and rough. Felicity continued speaking. "I take it getting a tattoo was no issue, considering you have no problem with needles?"

He let out a low chuckle. "You say that like you know me, Doctor…." He glanced quickly at her name tag. "Smoak…"

"Pardon me for asking this, Oliver, but it says in your file your brother is Thomas Merlyn. Does that have anything to do with why you're sitting here, right now?"

A long stretch of silence formed between them. It felt hours long, while it only last a couple seconds. Oliver felt slightly taken aback by the question, but he played it off with ease.

"I'm here because I screwed up. I'm determined to right my wrongs. That's why I'm here." They shared a glance before Oliver continued. "The jury felt that since my brother is scheduled to die in a week, they would allow me to be incarcerated where he is, until his time comes."

Felicity finished administering the insulin. "You're all set."

Oliver slowly rose from his seat, rolling up his sleeve at an almost snail's pace. He stopped in the doorway. "How come you were wondering about my brother?"

She was almost expecting this. She wheeled back to her desk before speaking. "I just try to get to know my patients as best I can. That way it's easier to form a professional, and respectful relationship. Nothing more."

Oliver flashed a thoughtful smile before being escorted back to general population by a black-suited guard.

Felicity, her heart, for some reason, pounding fast, opened up Oliver's file yet again. " _Something's off here_ ," she thought to herself.

Felicity came to the realization that Oliver Queen was just yet another mystery not wanting to be solved (at least for now).


	2. Lockdown

Birds sang their daily songs outside her window; they sounded happy, like they knew what today was going to be like. Birds didn't have to worry about their wellbeing all the time. They could be free, with no boundaries, and no restrictions.

Felicity finished patching up an inmate who had gotten in a fistfight. She placed a bandage on his forehead, which had just been cleaned and sterilized moments before.

"You're all set, Mr. Harper. Be more careful next time, yeah?" The inmate, Roy Harper, flashed Felicity a smile before being escorted out of the infirmary by a guard. Moments later, Sara walked in.

"This new batch is more violent. I've had to treat more inmates from fist fights and altercations than I have before they came. Poor guys are going to get themselves killed."

Sara made her way to her desk. She started ruffling papers around, looking for a specific file.

"What was the name of the inmate you just treated?" Sara asked Felicity, her tone sincere.

"Roy Harper. He's a new bookie. Only 21 years old. He's in for grand larceny." Felicity handed Sara his file, which was thin in comparison to the others. This new bookie was just a child.

A few minutes passed before they heard a knock on their open door. "Sara your father wants to see you."

She smiled before standing. "Thanks, Digg. I'll be right there."

"Tell him to keep an eye on the new guys. They're tough." Sara nodded towards Felicity before leaving.

"Is my twelve o'clock here?" Felicity asked, an inquisitorial tone to her voice.

"Yes, ma'am. He's right here." Oliver Queen emerged from behind Diggle, who dragged him inside the infirmary. "Make sure he doesn't try anything. We've been having a lot of issues with inmates lately. Especially with the new ones."

"I'll keep him in line, John. Thanks."

The door was closed. The guards outside stood tall, and still. They were ready if anything were to happen.

"How are you today, Mr. Queen?" They sent smiles each other's way before sitting in their respective spots. Oliver slowly rolled up his sleeve.

"Okay. With all the fighting going on, I really have to be on my toes. Don't want anyone sneaking up behind me."

Felicity's smile was warm and inviting. She grabbed her supplies and went to work.

"Have you made any friends?" She was trying to keep him busy, as she did with all inmates she treated. Friendly conversation oftentimes calmed their nerves, and their pain, if they were to have any.

"A few. My cellmates a decent guy. There are a few inmates that I trust. A few that I don't."

Felicity finished her work, and rolled away from the infirmary bed. She started to speak.

"If you ever come across someone doing something they shouldn't, you can tell me." She turned around, her gaze now fixated on Oliver's face. Her expression was honest. She felt comfortable around him, like he would never hurt her. That feeling, of safety, is a feeling that normally didn't appear when working inside a prison. It was refreshing.

Oliver smiled. "I promise, Doc."

They stood there, eyes locked on each other's, for what felt like an eternity, before it was broken by commotion.

"Doc! We got a code red. He was stabbed pretty badly." Six guards, two of them Captain Lance and John Diggle, were wheeling an inmate on a stretcher. He was awake, but was gripping the left side of his chest. His grey shirt was painted red with blood. The inmate appeared to be Thomas Merlyn.

"What's going on?" She heard Oliver echo.

"GET HIM OUT OF HERE!" A guard reciprocated. Felicity's sole focus was now on the inmate, who was groaning in agony. Captain Lance quickly led Oliver out of the infirmary.

"WHAT'S GOING ON? DOC?" She could hear Oliver's worried cries as he was dragged out.

"Thomas. You're going to be alright. Can you hear me?" She saw Tommy execute a slow, small nod.

"Good. We're going to help you. Everything is going to be alright." Sara, moments later, rushed in. "What happened?"

"He was stabbed. Left side of the chest. Right above the hip flexer."

Most of the guards made their way outside, running to the elevator and talking to other guards on their walkie-talkie's. The entire prison was going into lockdown.

Felicity lifted up Tommy's shirt, which was stained with even more blood than before. Sara grabbed supplies from the closet, and began scrawling on a sheet of paper.

"Sara. Antiseptic." Sara ushered the antiseptic Felicity's way, who immediately started cleaning the wound.

"You still with us, Mr. Merlyn?" Another slow nod.

"Good. Hang in there." He nodded again.

"Mr. Merlyn? My name's Sara Lance. You're going to be okay. You're in good hands." His hand was dangling off the edge of the stretcher, and Sara took it, squeezing it tightly. "Squeeze my hand when the pain starts."

"Okay. Needle and thread, Sara." Sara reached behind her and grabbed the needle and thread, handing it towards Felicity.

Felicity started stitching the wound closed. Tommy squeezed Sara's hand frequently, the pain apparent.

"Scissors." Felicity quickly relayed, surveying the stitch job. Once receiving the scissors, she snipped the end off the stitches.

"Did you get gauze, Sara?"

"Yep." She reached behind her yet again, revealing a large gauze pad. "Got it right here."

She handed it to Felicity. "He was a trooper." Sara let go of his hand moments later.

"Indeed he was." Felicity applied gauze over the wound, smiling in the process. "Mr. Merlyn. How does everything feel?"

He slowly croaked out an almost unintelligible "good."

"I'm going to need to keep you here overnight, if that's alright with you?" Another nod.

"Can I have his paperwork?" Sara nodded, handing it Felicity's way.

"Mr. Merlyn. Can you tell us who did this to you?" Sara wheeled Tommy over towards the window.

"Wilson." He muffled out. "Slade. Wilson."

Sara and Felicity exchanged a concerned look. "I think you need to get your dad back in here." Felicity took off her glasses and brought her hands to her temples. A migraine was beginning to form.

"I think so too. I'll call him up."

"Oliver. Where's my brother?" Felicity went to Tommy's side.

"He's back in gen pop. He couldn't be in here when we were treating you. Prison policy."

"Can I see him now?" Felicity let out a frustrated sigh.

"I'm sorry, Tommy. Unless he's getting treated for something, I can't let him in here. That's the rule."

"You figured out who did this?" Captain Lance came storming into the infirmary, Sara in tow.

"Yes sir. Tommy said it was Slade Wilson."

"Son-of-a-bitch." Captain Lance started speaking into his walkie. "I need Slade Wilson put in segregated housing immediately. Put him on twenty-four hour supervised watch. If he so much as breathes, I want to know about it."

"Keep an eye on Merlyn. We're on lockdown, so things could potentially get even uglier. Be safe." He placed a kiss on his daughter's forehead before leaving.

"What happens now?" Sara asked, her face permeating fear. "We're in lockdown. The inmates are going to get rowdy."

"Then we need to be ready. For anything."

Felicity leaned against her desk and crossed her arms. Her heart was racing. Sweat was forming on her forehead. "We need to be prepared for anything." She sent a nod towards Sara, who reciprocated.

Meanwhile, in gen pop, in cellblock 30, Oliver Queen was putting a plan in motion to get his brother out of his hellhole, no matter the cost. He wanted to wait, to survey his surroundings, but his brother getting stabbed set the plan in motion. Oliver Queen was planning a prison break.


End file.
